Just as slow food encourages chefs and eaters to become more intimately involved with the production of local food, and slow money helps us become more engaged with our local economy, Slow Democracy encourages us to govern ourselves locally with processes that are inclusive, deliberative, and citizen powered.

Susan Clark is a writer and facilitator focusing on community sustainability and citizen participation. She is an award-winning radio commentator and former talk show co-host. Her democratic activism has earned her broad recognition, including the 2010 Vermont Secretary of State’s Enduring Democracy Award. Clark is the coauthor of All Those In Favor: Rediscovering the Secrets of Town Meeting and Community (RavenMark, 2005). Her work strengthening communities has included directing a community activists’ network and facilitating town visioning forums. She served as communication and education director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council and Coordinator of the University of Vermont’s Environmental Programs In Communities (EPIC) project. Clark lives in Middlesex, Vermont, where she is chairs a committee that encourages citizen involvement, and serves as town-meeting moderator.

Heart & Soul of Essex is a citizen led initiative that received a grant from the Orton Family Foundation to celebrate Essex's history, identify common values, and search for a unified vision. They are offering many ways for all members of the community to make their voice heard over the next two years.

Just as slow food encourages chefs and eaters to become more intimately involved with the production of local food, and slow money helps us become more engaged with our local economy, Slow Democracy encourages us to govern ourselves locally with processes that are inclusive, deliberative, and citizen powered.

Susan Clark is a writer and facilitator focusing on community sustainability and citizen participation. She is an award-winning radio commentator and former talk show co-host. Her democratic activism has earned her broad recognition, including the 2010 Vermont Secretary of State’s Enduring Democracy Award. Clark is the coauthor of All Those In Favor: Rediscovering the Secrets of Town Meeting and Community (RavenMark, 2005). Her work strengthening communities has included directing a community activists’ network and facilitating town visioning forums. She served as communication and education director of the Vermont Natural Resources Council and Coordinator of the University of Vermont’s Environmental Programs In Communities (EPIC) project. Clark lives in Middlesex, Vermont, where she is chairs a committee that encourages citizen involvement, and serves as town-meeting moderator.

An historian and cultural critic interested in the development of American patriotic culture, Woden Teachout has taught at a number of colleges and universities, including Harvard, Middlebury College and Goddard College. Her most recent book, Capture the Flag: A Political History of American Patriotism (Basic Books, 2009), was widely reviewed, including by The Wall Street Journal. Teachout holds a PhD in the history of American civilization from Harvard University. She lives in Middlesex, Vermont, and is a professor of graduate studies at Union Institute and University.

Meet community leader Susan Clark and democracy scholar Woden Teachout and learn more about the concept of Slow Democracy, the topic of their new book. In Slow Democracy, Clark and Teachout document the range of ways that citizens around the country are breathing new life into participatory democracy in their communities.

Just as slow food encourages chefs and eaters to become more intimately involved with the production of local food, and slow money helps us become more engaged with our local economy, Slow Democracy encourages us to govern ourselves locally with processes that are inclusive, deliberative, and citizen powered.